Heart of the Matter
by BrokenHearts159
Summary: Jane is trying to show his shifter/partner how much he cares for her by buying her her dreams. I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!
1. I'll think about it

Heart of the Matter

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!

I stared at my pot of water, waiting for it to boil.

"A watch pot never boils." Wayne said to me. I looked at him and smiled. I placed my hand over my pot and slowly began to squeeze my hand into a fist. The more I squeezed my fist, the hotter the water got. I opened my hand once the water boiled. I smiled even bigger. At Wayne who got up and looked into my pot. "Thanks for boiling water for me." Wayne said as he dumped his roman noodles into the pot. I was about to protest when someone blindfolded me. I didn't need eyes to see who it was.

"What are you doing, Jane?" I asked with a smile on my face.

"Do I have to say?" He asked.

"Yes." I laughed. "Or I can charge you with kidnapping."

"Shush and take my hand." Patrick ordered. I laughed and felt the air with my right hand.

"Where's your hand?" He placed his hand into mine and began pulling me along. "Rigsby!" I called behind me. "If I'm not back in an hour, tell Lisbon it's been a pleasure working for her and that Jane is responsible for my kidnapping!"

"I'll think about it." Wayne yelled back at me.

"Now that I said my last goodbyes can you please tell me where we're going?" I asked Patrick. He didn't answer. We walked in silence for what seemed like ages until cold air took me as a hostage.

"Watch your step." Patrick warned me but it was too late. I tripped off the sidewalk and Patrick caught me in time. I clung to his shoulders as he brought me back up in standing position.

"Thanks." I muttered through the darkness.

"Ok, we're at my car."

"Car? Jane, where are you taking me?"

"Come on, Bryn. Can't you just trust me?" I frowned in the direction of his voice. "When have any of my plans gone bad?" I frowned bigger. "Ok, don't answer that. When have I ever let you down? Not Lisbon, not Rigsby or Van Pelt or Cho. You." I stopped frowning but Patrick could still see that I had second thoughts. "Come on, let's do a trust fall."

"A trust fall?"

"Yeah. If I catch you then you're coming with me no questions asked. If you fall then you can sue me for crack your head open on the ground. Ok?" He didn't wait for an answer. He turned me around and stood behind me. "Come on." I bit my lower lip. "Come on, Bryn." I took a deep breath and held it as I let myself fall backwards. It seemed like ages before hands caught me under the arm. I held out my right arm to feel how far I fell. I could touch the ground with my fingertips. I exhaled my breath as Patrick lifted me up.

"You let me fall to the ground."

"No, I caught."

"Yeah, when I was like two inches off the ground."

"That's the whole. I may not be there at the beginning but in the end I'll always be there for you no matter what situation you're in. Now get in the car, we had a deal." Patrick guided me into the passenger seat of the car and buckled my seatbelt for me.


	2. Surprise

I don't know how long we were driving but Patrick finally stopped the car and killed the engine.

"Are we here?" I asked.

"Yeah." Patrick answered as he got out of the car. A few seconds later, my door opened and my seat belt unbuckled. A gentle hand grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the car where the chilling, night air bit at my bare arms. "Take off your shoes."

"What?"

"Take off your shoes."

"Jane."

"Trust me." Great, we're back to trust. "Bryn." I bent down and took off my shoes and tossed them into the car as Patrick closed the car door. I gave a shudder. Something draped over my shoulders and I gripped it with both hands and felt what it was. It was Patrick's jacket.

"Thank you." I said. He placed his hands on my shoulder and gently pushed me forward. Softness tickled my feet. Grass. What the hell were we doing in grass?

"Just keep going." Patrick whispered in my ear. I kept walking, placing each foot down softly and gently, letting the grass stems slip through the spaces between my toes. We stopped and I heard a noise in front of me.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Shush." Patrick ordered as he grabbed my right wrist. He lifted it and pulled it out in front of me until my palm touched something soft. I pulled back in surprised but Patrick pushed my hand forwards again. My palm touched the thing again and I didn't pull back. "Take off your blindfold." I reached up and yanked off the blindfold. I looked in front of me and gasped. Patrick had really over did it. In front of me a white mare with a black face stood. She had blue eyes and they seemed to lock onto my blue eyes almost immediately.

"Jane," I breathed. I revolved around the mare, running my hand along her slick clean coat in the process.

"You like?" Patrick asked as I made my way back to the front of the mare and ran my hand down her muzzle.

"I don't like." I said.

"What?" Patrick asked in astonishment. I looked at him with a smile on my face.

"I love." I said. He smiled back at me.

"I built a stable out behind my house and a stable behind the CBI building. There's also a saddle and everything in the stables at my place. I also hired someone to clean out the stables every week so you don't have to."

"Thank you, Jane. It's the nicest thing any ever got me. How did you know that I like horses?" He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I chuckled and hung my head. "Right, stupid question." He started to head back to his car. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Home. I'm tired. You have your own ride." And with that, he got into his car and drove away.

"Jane!" I yelled after him but it was no use. "Bastard." I turned back to the horse. I walked to her left side and ran my hand down her neck. She snorted and took a step back. I took a deep breath and placed my palms firmly onto her sturdy back and heaved myself up. I threw my right leg over her back and fisted my hands into her mane. She took another step back. I was so high off the ground. I took a deep breath and dug my heels gently into her side and she trotted forward. I made go in circles in the field that we were in until I dug my heels deeper into her and made her go into the forest. It was dark but the horse seemed to know every thing in front of her. She probably looked like a ghost. A ghost with no head and a fearless rider. That's what I was. Fearless. Riding in the pitch darkness, giving my trust to a horse I just got. That's what I was. Fearless.


	3. Riding accident

The team all waited out behind the CBI building for me. I rode my new horse to work and stopped beside the building. I got off the horse and patted her muzzle before moving to the back of the building.

"Hey, guys." I greeted them.

"Hey," They all said in unison.

"I heard Jane got you a gift last night." Teresa said.

"Yep." I smiled.

"What is it?" Wayne asked.

"A horse." I said.

"A horse?" Grace questioned me.

"Yep."

"Obviously, she means a mustang. A car." Kimball said. I laughed out loud and looked over at Patrick who was trying to conceal his smile behind his hand. I went back to the side of the building and grabbed the horse's reins and led her behind the building.

"No, I mean an actual horse." I said, laughing at all the looks on everyone's faces.

"Oh," Wayne said.

"My," Kimball said.

"God." Teresa finished.

"Aw." Grace added.

"Isn't she adorable?" I asked, leaning my head on the mare's muzzle.

"Lovely." Grace said, stepping forward to run her hand down the mare's face.

"Beautiful." Teresa said.

"Expensive." Wayne breathed.

"Crazy." Kimball muttered. Teresa's cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket and answered it. A few minutes later, she hung up.

"What is it?" I asked.

"We have a case over at Fallin's horse track." Teresa said.

"Wow and I just got a horse." I joked.

"Let's go." Teresa ordered. Patrick followed Teresa to her car and they already started to head to the track.

"Bet you fifty bucks I'll beat you to the tracks." I challenged Kimball and Wayne.

"I'll pass." Kimball said as he headed to his car and drove away. He was always the smart one.

"You're on." Wayne agreed to the challenge. He was always the gullible one. He bolted to his car and drove off. It was just me and Grace now.

"You want a ride?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I do." She answered. I climbed onto the horse and Grace climbed on behind me.

"Ready?"

"Ready." I dug my heels into the mare's side and she ran out of the parking lot and out into traffic.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMM

Grace slid off the horse and I slid off behind her. Wayne pulled up behind us. He got out.

"Unbelievable." Wayne said. "Unbelievable."

"Hey, your ride might have a lot of horsepower but my ride has more." I joked. "Pay up." Wayne shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and handed me fifty bucks. "Thank you."

"She's a keeper." Grace said, patting the horse's side.

"Yeah, she is." I said. "Come on, let's catch up with the others." We walked to Kimball, Patrick and Teresa who were standing over a body. The body was female, maybe fourteen or fifteen, in riding clothes. A black helmet, green buttoned up shirt that was tucked into cream colored pants that were tucked into black boots. Behind her were stables lined up. Maybe fifty stables. More or less. Yellow tape was around us and cops were everywhere trying to keep people away from the crime scene. "There's no blood."

"Poisoned possibly. Strangled." Wayne threw out suggestions.

"Poisoned." Patrick said.

"How can you tell?" I asked.

"If she was strangled then she would have bruises on her neck which she doesn't. She smells funny." A man came walking up to us. He wore a cream colored cowboy hat, blue buttoned up shirt tucked into jeans and a brown belt and brown boots. He had gray hair sticking out from under his hat and a gray beard. I walked away from the team to him. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to stay behind the yellow tape here please."

"My name is Nicholas Fallin." The man said. "I own these tracks." I turned around and looked at Teresa.

"Boss, this guy says he owns these tracks." I called to her. She looked at me and nodded her head. I stepped to the side and let him pass to Teresa. I followed behind.

"Agent Teresa Lisbon." Teresa held out her hand and Nicholas took it in his own. "Do you know who this is?"

"Yes, it's my niece, Lily Fallin." Nicholas answered with quivering lips.

"You don't seem too broken up." Patrick said.

"Lily and I were more like riding partners than family." Nicholas answered. "She was our best rider here. She was suppose to run in the Penta Race."

"Penta Race?" I questioned him.

"Yeah, it's a five day race. Each day is a barrel race and a regular race. Ten people go in and only one goes out. Lily always won."

"How often do you have these Penta races?" Teresa asked.

"Once a month."

"And she won every one?"

"Yeah, she's been riding since she was four."

"Do you know anyone that might of done this to her?"

"Yeah."

"Who?"

"Everyone rider at this track."

"We need a list of the riders then."

"Sure." He said. "I'll drop it off by your office this evening."

"Thank you." Teresa said as she and the team to leave but Patrick stopped and turned back to the Nicholas.

"This penta race, you said ten people?" He asked him.

"Yes."

"How many do you have now?"

"Well, nine now that Lily's gone."

"So room for one more?"

"Yes."

"Write down Calla Bryn."

"Jane," I called to him. He ignored me as Nicholas picked up a clipboard from one of the stools by the stables.

"Calla Bryn." Nicholas muttered. "Like the flower?"

"Like the flower." Patrick agreed with a smile.

"Horse's name." Patrick looked over at me. I rolled my eyes. Probably one of his tricks.

"Shadow Ghost." I answered, picking a name at the top of my head. I had to admit it kinda suited her.

"That your horse over there?" Nicholas asked pointing to Shadow.

"Yeah, that's it." I said.

"Mare or stallion?"

"Mare."

"Ok, you're in the system." Nicholas said. "First race is six pm Monday evening."

"Fine." I growled.

"Thank you." Patrick said and he turned and joined my side as we left.

"I hate you so much for this." I growled at him as I climbed onto Shadow.

"Trust me, you'll enjoy it." Patrick smiled up at me as he helped Grace onto Shadow behind me. I glared at him one last time before I looked over at Wayne.

"Yo, Rigsby!" I called to him.

"Yeah?"

"Another fifty bucks that I'll beat you back to the office." He pondered that challenge for a moment.

"You're on." He climbed into his car and drove away.

"He's unbelievable." I muttered as I rode out of the track.

"That's why I love him." Grace said as she wrapped her arms around my waist.


	4. First day, first race

Monday Evening

5:53 PM

"I can't do this." I muttered over and over as Patrick led my horse out of the stable and towards the track with the team around me like a Chinese wall. "I can't do this." Patrick stopped the horse and looked up at me.

"Listen to me, Bryn, listen to me real closely. Look into my eyes and listen to me real close." I looked down into his blue eyes and felt dazed immediately, like nothing was in the world. "Can you hear me, Bryn?" I nodded my head slowly. "You can do this. You are thinking way too negatively which is causing you to lose faith in yourself and in your horse. You need to relax and just ride. Just go for it like you're not even racing. Just relax. You need to just relax. Just relax. Do you understand?" I shook my head to clear it and looked back down at Patrick.

"I can't do this." I said. Patrick groaned and took a helmet from Grace.

"Yes, you can." He said as he handed me the helmet. I placed the helmet over my head and snap the strap under my chin. "Grace, you grew up around horses right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You race?"

"A little, why?"

"Walk and talk." Patrick stepped aside and handed the reins to Grace who reluctantly took them from Patrick and began guiding me to the track.

"Don't get boxed in." Grace tipped me. "Whatever you do, don't get boxed in. It'll only slow you down. Plus, something worse might happen?"

"Worse?" I exclaimed down at her. "Like what?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just slow you down. It'll only slow you down." Patrick said hastily. "Grace, continue."

"Keep low and when the horse turns, don't move. Just stay where you are. That's all I know." Grace finished as we approached the gate to the track where Nicholas was waiting for us. I checked my watch. 5:57. Nicholas pinned a piece of paper to my shirt. I looked down to see the number seven.

"Hey, my lucky number." I chuckled nervously.

"Then it might be your lucky race." Nicholas smiled up at me as he opened the gate. I looked back at the team.

"Good luck." Grace said.

"Break a leg." Kimball told me.

"Good luck." Teresa said.

"Good luck." Patrick said.

"If you die out there, I get my hundred bucks back right?" Wayne asked.

"Rigsby!" The team yelled his name in unison. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, sure, Rigsby, whatever. And, Van Pelt, you can have this horse if I die."

"Calla, you have to get out there." Nicholas said. I gave them one last smile before heading out to the metal stables in the middle of the track. I slowly walked forward into the seventh stable and the gatekeeper closed the door behind us, locking us in. I leaned down and breathed deeply in Shadow's scent as I clutched the reins. I leaned over to her left ear.

"Ok, listen, Shadow, you remember that night when I got you? The night we raced through the woods? This is just like that. Just you and me. No one else. It's just like that night, Shadow. Just like that night. So let's ride like it's that night again. Ok, Shadow?" I whispered in her ear. She flicked her ear like she understood and a loud bang sounded and the gates in front of us opened and I dug my heels into Shadow's side and she was off. The wind from the fast speed whipped at my cheeks. I past five, three, eight, nine and one with ease. I leaned back over to Shadow's ear. "Remember that tree that was burnt and was hanging over our path and you dodged it? Well, see the brown horse and that black and that grey one? Well, those are burnt trees. Ok? Work with me to get past them." I dug my heel into her side more and she gained speed. I gave the reins a tug to the right and she followed my lead. I kicked her in the side and she past two. We rounded the first bend and past four in the process. I yanked the reins to the left and she followed and past six. We rounded the last bend and headed straight for the finish line with only ten in front of us. "Ok, Shadow, we have to do this. We have to pass one last horse. Just one more and I swear I'll rub you down and give you a whole bucket of oats. Just one more, Shadow, one more. Let's do it for Jane. Ok? Let's do it for Jane. Ok, come on, Shadow!" I gave her one last kick in the side and she passed ten as we crossed the finished line. The crowd cheered and it roared in my ears as I pulled Shadow to a stop. The other horses passed me and left the track. Joy seemed to drown my insides. I hugged Shadow around the neck and kissed her just behind the ear. "I knew we could do it." Shadow stamped her front hoof as if she knew I was lying. "Ok, maybe I am lying. But I bet you never doubted us." She snorted and flicked her ears in agreement.

"And Rookie, fifteen year old, Calla Bryn and her horse, Shadow Ghost, wins first place with Barbra Dean in last place. Sorry, Barbra, better luck next month." A male's voice boomed through the speakers throughout the stands. I walked Shadow through the gate that we entered through to where the team was waiting for me with smiles on their faces. I slid off Shadow and they approached me.

"Congratulations, Calla." Grace said as she hugged me. I hugged her back and took everyone else's congratulations. I walked Shadow back to her stable next to a black horse and poured some oats into a metal bucket for her. I hung her bucket on the door and she plunged her muzzle into it and began to eat. I walked out of the stable and closed the door slowly so I wouldn't bother Shadow's eating. I rubbed Shadow's nose before turning to my team. Before any of us can speak, a high pitch female voice sounded from the black horse's stable.

"You Calla Bryn?" The voice asked as chick came out. She had long blonde hair with bright red lips and dark gray eyes. She was maybe in her early twenty's.

"Yeah, I'm Calla Bryn." I said, turning to her. "What's it to ya?"

"Very uncommon for a rookie to win a Penta race." The girl said.

"Who are you?" Teresa asked. I waved her off and looked at her, quietly asking her for me to take this over. She nodded and stepped back. I turned my attention back to the chick.

"Who are you?" I repeated the question.

"Lola Quirks. This here is my horse, Lucky Light. We got in third place." Lola answered.

"Lola, did you know Lily Fallin?"

"Yeah, everyone did. She was the best rider here. Sweet girl. Too bad she's gone."

"When's the last time you saw Lily?"

"Thursday. She was talking to a man about mid afternoon."

"Were they arguing?"

"Didn't look like it." I looked over at Patrick to see if he got anything from her. He shook his head. I turned back to Lola.

"Who was this man?"

"Parker Bench."

"Do you know where we can find him?"

"He's stable is at the end of the line."

"One more question, where were you Friday night between eight and eleven pm?"

"I was here grooming Lucky Light till about eight thirty maybe nine."

"You know anyone to confirm that?"

"Yeah, Mr. Fallin. He came and talked to me a bit." I looked over at Patrick and he nodded.

"Thank you, Lola and congratulations on getting in third place." Lola locked her stable door and left. I turned to Patrick.

"She's telling the truth." He said. I nodded and looked at Teresa.

"Boss, I was wondering if I could take over this case."

"Take over?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Well, I thought we could get more answers if I asked the questions since I know a lot about horses and Van Pelt can be like my second in command. Please, Boss, I could also use the experience." Teresa pondered the request for a moment.

"Fine, but you screw up once and I'm taking over again and you'll do stakeout for a month. Is that understood?"

"Yes, absolutely, thank you, Boss."

"So, what's our next move?"

"I was thinking Boss and Van Pelt can go back to the office and check out Lola's files. See if she's got anything against her. Rigsby, go find Nicholas Fallin. Confirm Lola's story with him and see if you can squeeze anything else out of him. Cho, go talk to as many of the riders who aren't in the Penta race see if you can find if anyone really did hate Lily. Jane and I are going to chat with Parker. We'll meet back here in an hour. Understood?"

"Yep." The team said in unison.

"Ok, see you guys later." I said as Patrick and I departed the team and headed down to the end of the stables where a broad shouldered black man leaned up against a stable door feeding a grey horse carrots. Maybe in his late twenty's.

"You Parker Bench?" I asked as we approached him.

"Yeah. Who are you?" He asked in a husky voice.

"That your horse?" I asked, pointing to the grey stallion.

"Yeah, his name's Fog Mist and who are you?" I pulled out my badge and showed it to him.

"Agent Calla Bryn from CBI, shifter to CBI consultant, Patrick Jane here. We're here to ask a few questions about Lily Fallin's death. Did you know her?"

"Eh, we chat here and there. Never had any big conversations."

"When did you last see her?"

"Thursday. She was talking to a girl."

"Who?"

"Lola Quirks." I looked over at Patrick and then back at Parker.

"What time did you see Lily talking to Lola?"

"About mid afternoon." This was not turning out to be good.

"Where were you Friday night between eight and eleven pm?"

"Here, grooming my horse."

"Anyone to confirm that?"

"Nicholas Fallin." And everything turns back to him. Great.

"One more question, what place did you get in the race?"

"Seventh."

"Ok, thank you for your time, Mr. Bench." We turned and walked away and headed back to Shadow. "One of them has to be lying."

"They both seem to be telling the truth."

"I still think one of them is lying."

"You asked what place Parker got in."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Just saying." It was quiet for a moment.

"Just trying to pick out who's my competition and who's not. Why did you volunteer me anyways?"

"Well, the killer killed Lily Fallin because they were jealous of her. I mean, she had the looks, the money, the fame, the talent. They killed her to see if they can get a chance at fame and money."

"So, if I win, you think the killer will come after me?"

"Yep." It was quiet for another moment.

"You're using me as bait?"

"To draw out the killer."

"Jane!"

"What?"

"Number ten got in second. We'll talk to him after the barrel race."

"Ok."


	5. First day, second race

Monday Evening

8:00 PM

"Last but certainly not least, the rookie that won first place in the first race of the Penta Race, we have Calla Bryn and her horse, Shadow Ghost. Beat 20.56 seconds and she wins first place in the first day of Penta Racing." The man said through the speakers as I walked Shadow up to the gate and waited for the whistle to blow. When it did, I just had to tap Shadow in the side and she was off towards the first barrel. As we approached it, I gently pulled on her reins to slow her down and gave a tug to the right to go clockwise around the barrel. My leg barely brushed up against the barrel as we turned around it. I kicked her in the side and she gained speed to the second barrel as fast as she could. I tugged her reins and pulled to the left. Her hooves kicked up dry dirt all around us as she made the counter clockwise turn around the barrel and she picked up speed as she charged to the third barrel. I tugged the reins again and pulled to the right and shielded my eyes as she kicked up dirt again. I tapped her in the side and she raced over the finish line and the whistle blew again. I uncovered my eyes and looked at the big stopwatch sign above the stands. "And with the time of 20.7 seconds, Miss Calla Bryn and her horse, Shadow Ghost, has won first place in the first day of Penta racing and everyone here at Fallin's horse tracks hopes to see you all back here tomorrow at six pm sharp for the second day of Penta racing. Y'all have a good night." I leaned forward and buried my face into Shadow's mane, her hair tickling my nose as I breathed in her scent. I closed my eyes and felt my tense muscles relax as I ran my hand up and down Shadow's neck. I stayed like that until I felt someone touch my side. I didn't need to open my eyes to know who it was.

"You know, Jane," I said. "I think we should wait until tomorrow after the first race to talk to ten. I'm really tired and so is Shadow."

"I think you're right." Patrick agreed. He took the reins from my hands and lifted them over Shadow's head and led her and me to her stable. I just sat there in the saddle and wrapped my arms around Shadow's neck and before we even got to the stables, I had drifted to sleep by the rhythm of Shadow's walking.


	6. Calla's Story

"Bryn," A voice called through the darkness. "Bryn, wake up." I sluggishly opened my eyes and looked at the window in front of the big oak wood mansion. Patrick's house. I looked to my left at the blond curly hair man. I stifled a yawn before getting out of the car and stretched out my arms and legs. Patrick got out of the car and I looked at him.

"You didn't have to drive me home." I said as my mind began to wake up.

"Meh, I didn't want to wake you up."

"Where's Shadow?"

"At the tracks. Grace is taking care of her." I stifled another yawn. "Now, about that deal." I looked back at him.

"What deal?"

"Remember that deal a couple months back?" I looked at him. "What?"

"You know I have Chronicle Dyslexia." I reminded him. "Anyways, I don't remember making a deal with you at all."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't, Jane."

"Yes, you do, Bryn, you just don't want to admit it. We made a deal a couple months ago saying that if you fell asleep and I had to drive you home then you would tell me your history and the shifter history."

"But you didn't wake me up."

"You could've woken up when I had taken you off the horse." He got me there. I sighed and walked over to the front steps of the house and sat down. Patrick came over to me and sat down on my left side.

"Shifter comes from Greek mythology." I began the story. "They were said to hunt with Goddess Artemis. She was a protector and her shifters were protectors to her. Everywhere she went, she would find boys and girls who she thought was strong and brave and turned them into shifters. The ability to shift to a wolf form. Everywhere Artemis was the shifters and wolves would follow her and protect her at all cost. There was a shifter once, her name was Bella. She was fierce and stubborn and one day decided to leave Mount Olympus and go to Earth and to find love since Goddess Artemis was the goddess of virgins and Bella wasn't allowed to find love on Mount Olympus. So she left and found love on Earth. When Artemis found out, she got mad and banished every single shifter from Mount Olympus. Bella did eventually have a child. Nobody knows if it was a girl or a boy because as soon as she had the child, she felt guilty that she betrayed Artemis and gave the baby away to a protecting family who raise the baby to protect people and the baby grew up and joined law enforcement to protect people everyday. Ever since then, shifters were taken away from the parents at birth and given to the law enforcement. That's the shifter history."

"What about your history?" Patrick asked.

"I was taken away from my parents when I was born and was given the NBI."

"NBI?"

"Nevada Boreal of Investigation. About four years later, I found out that my parents died."

"How did you find out?"

"It turns out my parents had pack in Vegas. Nightshade. There were three other packs in Vegas. Bloodrose and Wolfsbane were our allies. On occasion. The packs were made up of stray dogs, wolves and shifters. So, a guy came to me one day to tell me he knew my parents and said that my parents told if they ever died then they would want me to lead the pack. So I went back and I found out that I had a little sister. Her name was Annemarie. She wasn't a shifter but she was loved by the pack. I grew fond of her as I led the pack."

"Wait, you said four packs all together. Nightshade, Bloodrose, Wolfsbane, what's the other one?" I took a deep breath before answering.

"RJT."

"What does that stand for?" I took another deep breath.

"Red John's Territory." I saw the muscles tighten around his jaw then relax and I continued my story. "A couple days after Annemarie's fourth birthday, a fight broke out at Wolf's Center."

"Wolf's center?"

"The point where all the area's cross. I had just put Annemarie to bed and Ren, the guy who told me my parents were dead, came and told me he needed my help at Wolf's Center. I didn't want to leave Annemarie alone but I didn't want to wake her up either. So, I told myself I would be gone no longer than an hour and Annemarie would never know I was gone. So I left with Ren and headed to Wolf's center. I found out the two wolves from my pack and Red John's best fighters were there arguing. I tried to settle it without a fight but Red John's guys jumped me. I took one of them and my guys got the others. I ended up killing the guy on me and I killed the one who knocked Ren and one of my guys out and was about to kill the other. I saw a shadow in the bushes head back to RJT. I had a bad feeling and I rushed home. From a distance, I saw smoke and as I got closer, I saw my house on fire." As I continued the story, my voice got more and more shaky with each word I spoke. "I rushed up in and up the steps to Annemarie's room. I got to her door way when I got jumped by two shifters. They pinned me to the ground and I heard Annemarie scream. I looked into her room and saw man on her bed stabbing her over and over and over and over and over and over and over in the stomach." Tears were now flooding rivers down my cheeks as I relived that moment. "He slit her throat and stuck two fingers into the cut like it was some kind of chocolate fountain. He then drew that damn smile face on the wall and left out the window. The two shifters got off of me and I wanted to go to Annemarie's side but the house was burning fast and I had to get out. So, I left. I didn't want to go back to the pack so I left the state and came here."

"I'm sorry, Bryn."

"When I look at you, Jane, all I can think is, he's daughter was so lucky. Didn't wake up, didn't see anything, didn't feel anything while my little sister felt and saw everything." It was quiet for a few moments before I sniffled and stood up. "I'm going to go do a perimeter check." I shifted to my black fur wolf form and headed into the woods. I looked back and saw Jane get up and head into the house.


	7. The Racer's List

Here's a list of the racers in the Penta Race. I just had to write these down cause even I was getting confused about who was in still in the race, who was what number and all that so here's a list just in case you were confused too. An X beside the name means that they are out of the race. I'll put the person's name first then the horse name. I'll update the list at the end of each race to keep you guys updated. So after every race just go back to this chapter to see who's still in the race.

Number One: Lola Quirks and Lucky Light

Number Two: Parker Bench and Fog Mist

(X)Number Three: Barbra Dean and Peter

Number Four: Yin Yang and Kio

(X)Number Five: Honey Feng and Skipper

Number Six: Santos Parlez and Artemis

Number Seven: Calla Bryn and Shadow Ghost

(X)Number Eight: Macon Sheng and Yellow Star

Number Nine: Sasha Angel and Sunny Spot

(X)Number Ten: Lucas Freja and Cascadeur


	8. Chapter 8

"We're practicing water fighting today." Ally, my mentor told me, when I entered CBI practice room the next day with Patrick behind me. I followed her out back to the pool. I looked into the water to see rocks filled the bottom of the pool. Amon sat on the edge of the pool, tail laid gently over his paws. Angel sat beside him. Ansel paced beside Antpelt. Patrick sat down in a chair behind us. The thought of getting my pelt wet woke butterflies in my belly. Ally strode to the edge of the pool. "Are you ready?" I stiffened. "Before we try it in the water, I'll show you what we're going to practice." Ally beckoned Amon to step forward. The German Shepherd lifted his chin and stood stiffly in front of the dark-furred female. With a quick, low lunge, Ally knocked Amon's hind legs out from under him. Amon stumbled and scrabbled back onto all four paws. Nails clicked on the pavement.

"Easy to recover on dry land." It was Barley. "But in running water, it's not so easy to regain your balance." My fur pricked. I didn't like Barley. There was something sly about the skinny black and silver collie that made me nervous. He'd once bitten at Patrick and snapped at me for being over protective. Ally greeted Barley with a brisk nod and went on.

"When you're in the water, it's best to balance yourself on your pads and not your claws. It may feel natural to try and grip the waterbed, but loose stones rolled by the current may catch a claw and rip it out." I shuddered. Ally flicked her tail. "Amon, try to the move on Angel in the water." Amon padded tentatively into the thick, slow-flowing pool. He waded up to his belly, then farther, until the water reached his shoulders. It slapped against him, making a sound unlike any water I had heard before. "Antpelt, you work with Ansel." Ally ordered. Antpelt nodded, eyes glinting in the half-light. Ansel waded in. Antpelt shoved the Doberman apprentice with his muzzle. Ansel stumbled, losing his footing. His shoulders dipped below the surface as he struggled to find his paws, but he kept his nose high and clear of the clear water. I looked towards Patrick and he smiled at me. Barley blocked my view.

"I'll partner with Calla if you like, Ally." She shrugged. "Since you're supervising." I straightened and lifted my chin.

"Ok." I waded into the shallows, hoping the cold water would soothe my sore muscles in my neck. I grimaced as I headed deeper, trying to glimpse the riverbed through the cold water. Barley slid through the water beside her.

"Come on, slow slug." I pushed on, shuddering as the cold water seeped through my pelt and touched her flesh. It rose up past my belly and swallowed my shoulders. I was straining every muscle now, fighting the current to stay standing. I wished I were taller. Barley's spine was hardly covered, while I struggled to keep my head above water. Suddenly a stone rocked beneath my paws and I slipped. The water sucked me under before I could take a breath. Paws churning, I panicked. _It's not that deep, _I told myself sharply, and struck out, finding the waterbed with my paws. My head broke the surface, muzzle dripping, eyes streaming. I spat out the water I'd nearly swallowed. It tasted rank, like spoiled food but worse. Chlorine was nasty. Barley watched me, amusement glinting in his eyes. "I can see you're no lab," He barked smoothly.

"And I wouldn't want to be!" My defiant reply was ruined as I lost my footing again and slipped under the water once more. I struggled, reaching for the bottom, but a lithe shape slid beneath me and knocked my hind legs from under me just as Ally had demonstrated. _Barley! _He'd started the training before I'd had a chance to take a breath. I rolled in the current and floundered with my paws flailing. I fought the urge to breathe in, but my lungs ached for air. Then a paw pressed down on my spine, and I was trapped on the bottom of the pool. The water flowed over me. Panic swelled in my chest. I had to breathe. I tried to struggle, but Barley pressed harder, pushing the last gasp of breath from me. _God Poseidon, help me! _A shadow moved beside me. It was pale, sleek-furred belly of a collie. _Ansel! _The apprentice grabbed my scruff and heaved me clear of Barley's paws. Through the water, I could make out the shadowy outline of the shifter fishing around the waterbed with swiping paws. Close beside me, Ansel signaled toward Barley's hind legs with his muzzle, bubbles spilling from his nose. I understood. Though my lungs screamed for air, my panic had faded. I could last a little longer. Together we turned and pulled ourselves along the waterbed like a pair of otters and knocked Barley's hind paws out from beneath him. As he collapsed into the water, I shot skyward and broke the surface, gasping. Ansel bobbed up next to me, and we shared a yowl of triumph. In front of us, the water splashed and frothed as Barley struggled to find his footing. As Barley fought his way clumsily upward to join us, Ansel whispered to me, "Stay clear of his paws." Then the collie apprentice swam back toward Amon. I called innocently to Barley.

"Do you want to try the move out on me?" The shifter narrowed his eyes. Water dribbled from his chin.

"Ok." Was that wariness in his gaze? I leaned into the current, bracing my paws against a rock on the waterbed. I wasn't going to cheat. I waited for Barley to take a breath and prepared to feel his paws knock out my hind legs. As he pulled them out from under me, I darted forward like a fish, escaping his reach. I didn't even go under. Amazed that I felt so at ease in the cold water, I turned, ready to try to move again on Barley. Utterly focused now, I swiped his paws from under him and swam clear in one clean, quick move. I felt a surge of pride. No other wolf was trained to fight in water. Breaking the surface, I saw Ally beckoning the trainees from the bank with her thick, mackerel-striped tail.

"Not bad," He called as we padded, drenched, from the pool. I shook out my pelt, not caring that I sprayed Barley. "Though I expected better of _you, _Barley," Ally sneered at the skinny shifter. "I would have thought you could hold your own against an untrained apprentice." Barley snorted and slunk away around the building.

"Calla?" Beast's bark made me jump. I jerked around to see the dark shifter slide from the water. "All wolves should learn to get their paws wet." He shook out his pelt. "You had some nice moves there." I dipped my head.

"Thanks."

"Have you seen Bella?" The question took me by surprise.

"Me?" Did Beast know that I felt more comfortable training around Bella? "No."

"She's late again." He growled. "She's been coming later and later every time. Is she sick?"

"I can ask next time I see her." I offered. My ear twitched.

"I'll track her down." Beast's tone made me shiver. Was Bella in trouble for staying away? Ally cleared her throat.

"Time's up."

"See you tomorrow." Ansel said.


	9. Chapter 9

"Mr. Yang, what could you tell us about Lily?" I asked Yin Yang as he groomed his horse, Kio.

"She was very competitive." Yin said. "She had to be first in everything. If she didn't, well, she could become a very sore loser."

"Did she have any enemies?" Yin thought about the question for a moment.

"No, not really. She may have been a sore loser but everyone seemed to love her."

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Yang." I turned to leave but Yin called me back.

"Wait, a moment." I turned back around to face him. "There was too people who didn't seem to be fond of Ms. Fallin."

"And who was that?"

"Oh, um, I can't seem to remember their names. But their horses were a pure pitch dark horse and the other was a grey stallion."

"Thank you, Mr. Yang." I walked away with Patrick at my side. "Lucky Light is pitch dark and he's Lola's horse. The grey stallion is Parker's horse. Everything points back at them. Funny, Lola said that Lily was a sweet girl but yet Yin said that Lola wasn't fond of Lily. Parker said he hardly talked to Lily."

"Nicholas said that Lily and him were more like competitors than family."Patrick said.

"What are you saying, Jane?" I asked.

"I'm saying, what if Lola bribed Parker who bribed Nicholas to kill Lily so Lola could have a chance in winning."

"So, you're saying Lola, Parker and Nicholas all had something to do with Lily's death?"

"It's a possibility."


	10. Chapter 10

Shadow reared back, thrusting her front legs out and yelling. She dropped back down and reared back again. I clung to the reins and willed her to stay still. She snorted as Grace came up to her side.

"Easy girl." I said. "I don't get it. She was doing fine in the heat."

"Today's different." Grace said, nodding her head towards a cream and gray stallion.

"That's not one of the horses." Then, I saw Yin on the horse's back.

"Looks like he wants to race you."

"Looks like it."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT TTTTTT

"You ready?" Grace asked me. I gave a quick nod of my head and she opened the gate. I kicked Shadow in the side and she raced out. I kept my heels down and my body close to her. I pulled on the reins as we rounded the corner then kicked her in the side again as we raced to the finish ride. I slowed Shadow down and walked her to Grace.

"How was she?" I asked. Grace didn't answer. She just ran her hand slowly down Shadow's neck. "That bad, huh?" I climbed down.

"Same as last time. We can try again in a bit."

"Take her back to the stables, please." I walked out of the gate and Patrick joined my right side.

"Don't let it get to you." Patrick said. "I mean, Shadow just needs more time."

"The next race is tonight. I'm starting to think Shadow's not that problem."

"Come on, no body rides her better than you do."

"Yeah. Well, I used to think that were true. Now, I'm not so sure."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HH

Grace opened the gate and Shadow raced out. The wind cut at my cheeks and dirt attacked my unprotected skin. The drum of Shadow's hooves soothed me but didn't relax me. I would be relaxed if she picked up speed. I crossed the finish line and walked Shadow over to Grace.

"Any better?" I asked Grace.

"Maybe half a second." Grace said. I climbed down.

"So, we'll go again."

"That's it for now."

"Yeah, but we're just getting started."

"You need to take a power nap." I sighed, knowing that she was right. But Patrick's plan was all we got and I can't afford to lose.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEE

Shadow kicked up dirt behind her and rounded the corner with ease and crossed the finish line. I climbed down and went to Grace.

"You want to tell me what's going on?" Grace asked.

"Nothing." I said.

"You lost four seconds from last time."

"Sorry."

"She knows your mood. And she knows you're stressed and so do I."

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

I walked Shadow back out onto the track to see Patrick hooking a speaker up by the fence.

"I downloaded some recordings of the track." Grace said, walking beside me.

"So it'll sound like a real race?" I asked.

"That's the idea."

"You really think Shadow's going to go for that?"

"I had this horse, Fiyero. Always in the money. But before he started winning, his breeze times were terrible—a minute twelve, thirteen. I tried him with other horses, nothing worked."

"So what did you do?"

"So I realized the horse was probably just bored. He knew his workouts didn't mean much and he didn't see the point in running hard. So I made his workouts seem like a race. Dressed him up." Grace helped me up into the saddle. "Played crowd noise. Had an announcer. His first time, he cut off eight seconds off his time."

"Well, I only hope that works for Shadow Ghost."

"Me too. The boss just showed up." I looked to see Wayne and Teresa line up on the fence with Patrick and Kimball. Grace pulled the horse into the gate and Patrick started the recorded. As soon as the announcer started to speak, Shadow's head jolted up and perked her ears. The gate opened and Shadow left that gate so fast, I almost fell backwards. Her hind legs propelled her forward, her front legs gathering up ground. We crossed the finish line and went over to Grace. I climbed down. "A minute and one. You shaved off five seconds."


	11. Chapter 11

I crossed the finish line and the buzzer sounded.

"Miss Bryn has once again won first place in the barrel race with a time of 19.6 seconds, leaving Macon Sheng and Yellow Star in last place. Now, the question is, will Callana Bryn and Shadow Ghost win first place in the track race?"

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT TTTTT

I was doing good until Lola and Parker came up on either side of me, boxing me in. I tried to ignore them as I rounded the last corner but they press closer to me. Shadow snorted. I kicked her in the side and she tried to go faster but Lola's horse snipped at her and Shadow backed off. I crossed the finish line and Parker's horse cut in front of me. Shadow tripped over her front hooves and fell forward. I rolled off of her and landed on my right arm. I felt my bone cracked and pain seized me. Shadow rolled past me, her back hooves kicking me in my side. She skidded on her side and then stopped and didn't get up. I gripped my arm. I closed my eyes and grinded my teeth, trying not to cry out in pain.

"Bryn! Bryn!" Voices called out my name all around me as they surrounded me. I didn't want to open my eyes, not wanting to show the tears that I had in them. But I did anyway. I opened my eyes and saw Wayne, Kimball and Patrick at my sides.

"Bryn, are you all right?" Wayne asked me.

"Shadow." I breathed.

"Van Pelt and Boss got her." Kimball reassured me. I arched my head back to see Grace and Teresa helping Shadow up. She limped out of the arena. "Where are you hurt?"

"I think my right arm is broken."

"I don't think that's the only thing broken."

"Where?"

"Your right leg seems to be broken too." I tried to raise my head to look at it but Patrick pushed my head back down gently.

"Trust me, you don't want to look at it." Patrick said with a laugh. Paramedics took Wayne, Kimball and Patrick's places beside me and lifted me onto a stretcher.

"Wait." I said. "Did I win?"

"First place." I smiled and drifted off into nothing.


	12. Chapter 12

I opened my eyes and found myself in a hospital bed. I looked to the right to see Patrick sitting in a chair, staring at me.

"Hey," My voice sounded hoarse.

"Hey," He answered, grabbing my hand and giving it a little squeeze.

"How long have I've been out?"

"For about an hour or two."

"How's Shadow?"

"She sprained her right back hoof. Other than that, she's fine."

"How am I?"

"You have a broken arm and a broken leg and one of your ribs is cracked." I closed my eyes and sighed.

"I'm going to kill that horse."

"It wasn't Shadow's fault, Bryn."

"No, not Shadow. Fog Mist. Parker's horse. That's the horse that cut Shadow off and made her trip. Both Lola and Parker teamed up on me."

"Lola and Parker feel threatened."

"They're afraid that they're going to lose to me."

"They're trying to take out the competition." I sighed again.

"What the hell have you gotten me into, Jane?"

"I'm sorry, Bryn, if I knew what would happen, I never would have signed you up."

"I know, Jane, I know. But you didn't know that this would happen, so I don't blame you."

"I do."

"And I don't so that's all the matters." He looked at me with hurt eyes. "Hey, let's not talk about that ok?" Patrick looked down into his lap. "Hey, what about Lola and Parker?" Patrick didn't answer. "Jane."

"They're teaming up. Take out the competition. First place prize and fifty grand. Second place prize is forty five grand."

"Okay, so how are we going to prove that it was them?"

"I got an idea."


End file.
